SARS notice: request for change of bank details

SARS recently issued a notice to practitioners regarding the fraudulent changes to taxpayers' bank details and the SARS practice going forward.

The fraudulent changes to taxpayers' bank details remain one of the biggest risks that SARS has to deal with. It is SARS' responsibility to protect taxpayers from any fraudulent transactions on their SARS accounts emanating from within SARS.

To prevent such risks, taxpayers are therefore advised that under no circumstances will SARS request taxpayers' bank account details over the phone or accept bank account detail changes via facsimile, post, drop-box or e-mail. A power of attorney appointing a person as the taxpayer's duly authorised agent will no longer be accepted for the changing of bank account details.

Only changes done through the following channels will be accepted:

• In person at any SARS branch (Note: This is a SARS preferred channel)
• SARS eFiling (if you are registered as an eFiler)
• When submitting an Individual Income Tax Return (ITR12)
• When submitting Return of Income: Companies and Close Corporations (IT14) and Employer Declaration (EMP501) Return / Reconciliation

Please note that:

• SARS will never request a taxpayer's banking details in any correspondence that you receive per post, via email or SMS. SARS will also not send you hyperlinks to other websites - even those of banks.
• The SARS website does not have links to any banks. Should you wish to verify the authenticity of correspondence from SARS, kindly call the SARS Contact Centre on 0800 00 SARS (7277). Information about the latest phishing scams and fraudulent emails abusing the SARS brand is regularly updated on the SARS website. Go to www.sars.gov.za for examples of these scams. Report all suspicious incidents to the SARS Anti Corruption Hotline on 0800 00 2870 or email phishing@sars.gov.za

View the original SARS Notice.